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Exes with Benefits by Nicole Williams

***He wants a second chance. I want a divorce. To get what I want, I’ll have to give him what he does.***From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Nicole Williams:The only benefit I want from my ex is a divorce. We got married for all the wrong reasons. The one thing we got right was our separation. I should have known better than to think I could bet on forever with a guy like Canaan Ford. Everything about him screamed impermanent, from his wild eyes to his restless soul. When I left him and the small town I’d spent my whole life in, I swore I’d never go back. Never only turned out to be five years. Canaan claims he’s changed, but he hasn’t—same knowing smile, same rough demeanor, same body crafted from sin and sinew. And yet, something is different. He thinks this is his chance for redemption. My disagreement comes in the form of divorce papers dropped in his lap. He refuses to sign them. Unless . . .He wants a month to prove himself to me—that’s his offer. One month to make me fall in love with him again and if I don’t, he’ll sign the papers. As much as I want to say no, I agree. I can suffer my ex for a short amount of time if that’s what it takes to be free of him once and for all. I fell for him once; I won’t make that same mistake twice. He says we’re not over. I say we were over before we got started. Only one of us can be right, and I can’t let it be him.

“One month. That’s nothing in the scope of a person’s life.” He slid a bit closer.“One month is everything when it comes to opening myself back up to you.”He didn’t argue that. He let silence speak for him instead.“What exactly are you expecting during this one month?” I might have winced when I heard myself say those words.He rubbed his mouth, trying to hide whatever was trying to form. “For you to give me another chance. For you to be my wife.”The term made me nauseated. “Your wife? As in your indentured servant? No way.”It was a smile he was trying to hide. Not very successfully. It made me thankful I’d slipped into these old boots so I could give him a solid kick in the ass if necessary.“Like be willing to spend time with me. That’s it. That’s all,” he added when he correctly interpreted the question in my eyes. The question.“What will we be doing during that time we’re spending together?” I pulled at the chest of my dress when I noticed the way his gaze had lingered there a moment too long.His shoulder rose. “Got any ideas?” There was an unmistakable glint in his eyes.“No,” I answered instantly.“You used to have plenty of ideas for filling the time.” He took a swig of his Coke.“And then I learned how to use my brain.”He studied my fake smile, almost like he was contemplating what it would feel like against his mouth. “Dinners. Dates. Simple stuff like that.”I held my best poker face, considering his offer. I didn’t want to stay married to him. If one more month was what it took to be free of Canaan Ford, I could suck it up. I’d already made it five years. “No expectations of anything of a physical nature?”“If I remember right”—his eyes narrowed as he rubbed the back of his head—“it was generally you who instigated all of that back then.”I shoved his chest. Bad idea. Solid. Firm. Home.My jaw ground as I worked to erase that word from my conscious where he was concerned. “And you were just the perfect gentleman.”Canaan snatched my hand before I could pull it away. Holding onto it, he dragged me closer. Not so close that our bodies touched, but close enough the separation was painful.“Exactly,” he said in that low voice of his. The one he’d whispered my name in so many times as he moved inside me. “A gentleman gives his woman exactly what she needs. As many times as she need it. Just doing my part.”“How noble.”“That’s right. So if you want to make any changes to this one month agreement, consider me your humble servant.” When his hand dropped to my waist, his touch hesitant at the same time it was insistent, I didn’t flinch out of instinct the way I should have.Instead, I had to remind myself to pull away from him; to flinch at his touch. “I have a boyfriend, Canaan.” Even to my ears, it sounded like a weak protest.His hand didn’t fall away when I stepped back. “You’re a married woman, Maggie.”“My husband forfeited his rights years ago.” My eyes found his, expecting them to shoot away once mine made contact.They didn’t. His gold eyes held to mine. “He’s here to reclaim them.”

Review by Victoria:

Young love can be passionate and fleeting. How often did someone marry young and have it not be what you thought it would be? That’s where we meet Maggie, on one of the hardest nights of her life leaving her husband in the middle of the night. But Canaan wasn’t the husband she thought he’d be and she needed to protect herself now.

Maggie couldn’t stay away forever, 5 years later she’s back with the loss of her grandmother. As much as Maggie doesn’t want to admit Canaan may still have some hold over her heart, Canaan has no problem showing his wife his love for her. And that flame and attraction hasn’t disappeared.

This second chance romance is filled with heat, passion and love. You get a fabulous mix of passionate toe curling experiences and some of the sweetest words said and gestures ever shown. Canaan chances his love with a passion we all dream of being chased with. There’s no denying his devotion and Maggie is every girl who’s been heartbroken. Canaan has already let her down once before in the most painful ways, how could she risk that pain again? This is a fun read that grabs your heart and holds it close. 4 Stars

Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.

Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.